Hearts and Minds
by Balin Lord of Moria
Summary: The 41st Elite, under the guidance of Commander Gree and Luminara Unduli, conduct "hearts and minds" operations on the worlds they go to battle on, serving as the "humanitarians" of the Grand Army. A series of random vignettes about mostly non-canon campaigns.
1. A Bargain on Kooriva

**A/N: **I'm not an expert on how hearts and minds operations are conducted, so the ones I write about here may not be as accurate as the ones that happened in Malaysia, Vietnam or Iraq.

This fanfic is mainly about how Commander Gree, Luminara Unduli, Yoda, and the 41st Elite win over the trust of local populations before a battle or a campaign. That's part of what's supposed to make the fanfic unique. Some chapters won't show the actual battle at all, while others will have an abbreviated description of the battle. I apologize to those who like more action and less talk, but I find it a little tedious to write lengthy, detailed descriptions of battles.

_I am writing this story for two primary reasons. One is to give readers an idea of what the 41st Elite went through when they conducted their operations with alien species on hostile planets. I thought the methodology of the 41st would make an interesting story. The other reason is to comfort readers who believe there is either too much death in war or too many disagreements between countries on Earth who should be working together. Though no one loves the Vietnam War, I thought people who are aware of the hearts and minds operations conducted during that war in Vietnam might be comforted by the fact that the equally devastating Clone Wars had at least one clone unit that truly cared about the suffering of the galaxy, rather than just rushing in to fight and win._

_Long story short, this story is intended to make someone having a hard or bad day feel better about themselves, and the world. There is much evil in the world, but there is a lot of goodness in it, too, and I wanted myself and others to feel good about the goodness in it too, like philosopher Daniel Dennett once said in his "Thank Goodness!" letter. So if you're feeling down about yourself or the world, or if I am, please read this story and thank goodness!_

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Star Wars or The Clone Wars. George Lucas, Dave Filoni, and Disney do.

* * *

_**Hearts and Minds**_

**Chapter 1: **_**A Bargain on Kooriva**_

As senior clone commander of the 41st Elite Corps, Commander Gree had the duty of forging alliances with local alien populations in "hearts and minds" operations in order to win over their help in the battles of the Clone Wars. Jedi Generals Luminara Unduli and Yoda had always stressed to him about the importance of making peace with both allies and enemies rather than totally obliterating the enemy like many other clone unit divisions did. To achieve this, Gree had taken advantage of his keen interest in the customs and cultures of alien species and used his knowledge of them to forge those alliances, as well as to form new ideas about military strategy against species which mostly opposed the Republic the clone army served.

Because of this, many clones from other units thought of Commander Gree and his men in the 41st as the "humanitarians" of the Grand Army, always stepping in to help the people they fought with and, in some cases, against, instead of _just_ fighting their foes. A lot of troopers, even within the 41st itself, saw Gree and his men as the "softies" of the army, too, and thought the wisdom of Luminara and Yoda was weighing heavily on them. And it was the way some of the troops were feeling the day this story starts, when the 41st Elite and General Unduli were conducting a hearts and minds operation on an unlikely planet: Kooriva, home of the shrewd business people, the Koorivar, and the species of the Separatist leader, Passel Argente.

* * *

"So," clone trooper scout Adam asked his brother Filler, "Tell me again what the commander and the general are trying to do here?"

Filler, another scout trooper, replied, "Basically, the Republic wants to absorb Kooriva into its control, because the CIS Armed Forces have control of the planet right now, so the power and influence of the Koorivar of the Confederacy will weaken, and they'll have to retreat to their base world, Murkhana. But the Republic, apparently, wants at least some of the Koorivar to join the Republic and convince them of our government's good intentions. Some of the more idealistic senators in the Senate thought a hearts and minds operation is more likely to win over their possible trust than just landing and ravaging the world in order to crush the enemy."

"Oh, doesn't that beat all," grumbled Adam, staring at the floor of the _Venator_-class Jedi cruiser they were in, "I was hoping we were going to wipe out all the Koorivar because they're enemies of the Republic, not sucker up to those money-grubbers by giving them free gifts!"

Suddenly, as he looked up, he saw General Unduli and Commander Gree themselves standing right in front of him. "Trooper Adam," Luminara said sternly, "remember the discipline I taught you. I know that as a soldier, you like to cut down the enemy whenever you can, but it's more important to _save_ as many lives as possible than to _destroy_ many, or else there would _be no_ Republic for the common people to live in and enjoy."

"The good General is right, Adam," agreed Gree, "I know there are lots of aliens allied with the Separatists, but aliens have a right to live too, you know. And besides, we were bred to follow our superior's orders. Have you got a problem with that?"

Adam couldn't help looking a little annoyed, but he quickly submitted and said, "No, sir, no problem at all!"

"That's what I thought," said Gree. "Now, Adam, Filler, get moving and join the other troopers in the gunships! We're going to pull this off no matter what."

"Sir, yes sir!" they responded.

* * *

Within the hour, they had landed on the ground just outside Kooriva's capital city, which the Separatists were planning to defend from the Republic at any time. Gree and Luminara stepped down from their gunship, the _Dooku Boot_, followed by Luminara's Padawan, Barriss Offee, and several troops, including Adam and Filler and an AT-RT driver. Basen Officel, Prime Minister of Kooriva, was waiting with his aides and his Fusilier bodyguards in the main city plaza. Gree took interest in noting that Minister Officel's cranial horn was very tall and proud looking. It meant that this Koorivar was of very high status among his people.

"Welcome, my richly dressed offworlders," said Officel, offering his hand to Luminara, "I have always admired the way the Mirialan race dress so properly."

Luminara shook his hand. "Thank you, Prime Minister, but it is simply the way Mirialan Jedi are supposed to dress in most situations. We do not take pride in it."

"Of course," said Officel, "I almost forgot that most off-worlders do not practice business as fervently as my people do. Forgive me, I am Prime Minister Basen Officel of the Kooriva government."

"I am Jedi Master Luminara Unduli," Luminara introduced herself, "and this is my Jedi apprentice, Barriss Offee."

"Glad to meet you, young one," said Officel, kissing the back of Barriss' tattooed hand.

Barriss blushed fiercely, but kept her manners. "Thank you, Minister Officel."

The Prime Minister turned to Gree. "And who may this armored soldier be? He does not need to hide his face in my presence."

Luminara said to Gree, "That means it is all right to take off your helmet for a formal greeting, Commander."

Gree, taking it as an order, removed his helmet, revealing his Jango Fett face and his double stripe hairstyle. "And I'm Clone Commander Gree, senior commander of the 41st Elite." He then suddenly produced a handful of credits and offered them to the Prime Minister with a bow of his head. "I know how much your people value money, and a simple trooper like me has little need for it, himself. It's a gift, of peace and friendship, from the Republic Army."

Luminara and Barriss, especially Barriss, not to mention the other troopers, were quite surprised that the commander even _had_ money, let alone was giving it away to a high standing Koorivar.

"Well, I am quite impressed," said Officel, staring at Gree with wonder, "I never thought a clone trooper could even show such courtesy, _and_ understand one of our customs. You must be top of your class among the clones, or at least among the clone officers."

"Not exactly top class," said Gree humbly, "But I am an authority on the customs and cultures of many alien species, and even some human and near-human races, and I knew that my interests would serve my unit and I well in the Clone Wars."

"Commander Gree is one of the most intellectual men I have ever known," Barriss offered, "Sometimes, when he's off duty, we spend a little time together catching up on his studies of the wide variety of life in the galaxy."

"That's true," said Gree, "In fact, my name, 'Gree,' is a subtle nod to my intellectual pursuits. The Gree are a little-known alien species presumed to be endangered or extinct."

"Fascinating," said Officel, "And I thought the clone troopers were only warriors fighting and dying for the Republic. Well, I suppose we're running out of time to spend on pleasantries, right? Your offer of free money warms my heart and that of my cabinet, but what else do you and your Republic plan to do for us in order to win our trust? My people are allied with the Confederacy of Independent Systems, after all, and I can tell you, Magistrate Passel Argente has no intention of leaving it himself. But I assure you, if you can appeal to me in the right way, Magistrate Argente will lose some of his supporters among his species to the Republic."

Luminara said to Gree, "You know what to do, commander." Gree nodded.

"While the Republic cannot legally remove its taxes to the major corporations in the galaxy, like Argente's Corporate Alliance," Gree explained, "We can guarantee you, that all the businesses your people have worked so hard to build over the years, will be funded by the Galactic Senate, for we in the 41st have become aware through General Unduli here that so many senators are as greedy, squabbling, and cowardly as the Separatist Council is said to be, and the Chancellor of the Republic doesn't believe they need all that much of their profits in their private coffers. At the same time, though, the Senate serves the Republic, so the Chancellor can see to it that his wishes are carried out through them, unlike with the Separatist leaders. With the senators funding Kooriva's economy, you won't have to worry about protecting your assets from a Republic that is determined not to split in two because of some slimy Separatist rebels. All we in the 41st have to do is win this coming fight against the Seps, and then you'll have nothing to worry about."

"Hmm," said the Prime Minister, "Let me discuss it with my nobles first for a moment, and I will let you know."

"Of course, Minister," Gree said. Luminara bowed.

As Basen Officel discussed the matter with his aides, there was some brief conversation among the Jedi and the clones.

"I'm not altogether sure this is a good idea, Master," said Barriss to Luminara. "What if they deceive us? I imagine Passel Argente has great influence even over his people's Prime Minister, and the Koorivar remind me a little of the Hutts, who are also known for shrewdness and greed."

"I understand that, Barriss," said Luminara patiently, "But we need all the people on the Republic's side that we can get, and our unit in the Grand Army is one of the most fit for it. If Anakin Skywalker, Ahsoka Tano, Captain Rex, and the 501st Legion came here instead, they would likely rush into battle and wipe out some of the good as well as all the bad. Anyway, we _did _succeed in winning the Hutts' allegiance, and the Koorivar usually deal in legitimate business, not illegitimate like the Hutts and their allies."

"Yes, and while the Koorivar _are_ shrewd, if they're offered the right kind of assets, even they can keep their word sometimes," said Gree, "And besides, as someone who appreciates aliens, I don't want to have to recklessly destroy all who stand in our path."

Filler looked like he might have agreed with his commander, but Adam still looked doubtful about the whole thing. "What an incredible universe!" he muttered under his breath. Luminara heard it nonetheless.

"I beg your pardon, trooper?" she said, eyeing him sternly.

Adam quenched a temptation to sigh and roll his eyes. "Sorry, General, sir," he said.

"You should learn to mind your manners better when we're in the presence of a planet's noble leaders," she admonished him.

"She's right again, soldier," Gree frowned, "One more sarcastic phrase out of you during this campaign, and I'll temporarily demote you to kitchen duty. Got that?"

Adam gritted his teeth under his lips, but said, "Yes, sir! Understood, sir!"

Just then Prime Minister Officel stepped back over to them. "Is there any problem over here, my friends?"

"No, your honor," said Luminara, "One of the troopers just needed a little disciplining."

"Ah, yes," said Officel, "Sometimes we have to do the same with our Koorivar Fusiliers. Anyway, we have agreed to your offer, provided that we get paid up-and-front as soon as possible and these greedy senators don't use their own cunning to embezzle some of the money for themselves. Unlike Magistrate Argente, the people of my community have respectable businesses that should never be cheated."

"I am sure that can be arranged," said Gree, "And don't worry, the 41st Elite is one of the best units in the Grand Army; we'll have this planet liberated by nightfall."

"Thank you, commander," said Officel. "General Unduli, Commander Offee, just to be sure, is this deal all right with you as well?"

"Yes, it is, your honor," said Luminara, bowing.

"Absolutely," said Barriss, bowing in turn, though Luminara sensed she still had some doubts.

* * *

Later, by nightfall, the 41st had indeed liberated the planet, and the deal was fulfilled. The Senate was forced to provide for Koorivarn businesses from their coffers, and Kooriva joined the Republic, leaving Passel Argente and the Corporate Alliance with the planet Murkhana as their base world.

It was sad, though, that Chancellor Palpatine, in secret the Sith Lord Darth Sidious who also led the Separatists, had no intention of keeping the bargain and made sure the corrupt senators kept most of their wealth, at least until the rise of the Empire.


	2. Songs and Delicacies of the Ortolans

**Chapter 2: **_**Songs and Delicacies of the Ortolans**_

A little while later in the war, Commander Gree and his 41st Elite found themselves in action again. There was a plea for help from the ice planet Orto, the home of the blubbery Ortolan species. The Confederacy of Independent Systems had invaded the world with the intention of starving the inhabitants into submission to their demands, which included the sedition of Orto and the obligation of helping them fight against the Republic. The Ortolans didn't want to oppose the Republic, though, and previously, K Company, a division of the 327th Star Corps, led by Jedi Knight Nem Bees, himself an Ortolan, and Commander Deviss, had come to the planet to help out.

They were not having much luck, however, because the Ortolans were reluctant to help them fight, resulting in more difficulty claiming a victory for Orto in the war. Now, the 41st was going to step in with an attempt to win the trust of the besieged Ortolans before the Separatists took over their world for good.

* * *

"These aliens are certainly interesting to look at," a 41st trooper named Burger remarked to one of his brother clones as they watched the others converse with one of the Ortolan leaders. "From the looks of their floppy ears and long trunks, they could almost be mistaken for blubbery pachyderms."

"From what I hear, Burger, they have an affinity for food more than anything else," said Meteor, said clone standing beside him.

"Yeah, it's no wonder they always look fat," Burger said, "I guess they have to store a lot of fat in order to survive here on Orto, because the planet is an ice planet, and food is scarce compared to a lot of other planets in the galaxy. I'm surprised I've never heard any other species making fun of their appearance, not even humans."

"Hey, there's nothing wrong with that," said another clone named Flipper, "I don't think they _should_ be made fun of. We clones may have to be in good shape all the time, but many other people either can't help being fat, or it's natural for them to be fat. Fat is neither cute nor humorous."

"That's funny," said Burger, "I actually thought they _did_ look kind of cute. They look almost like children with their little black eyes, their short stature, and their cheerful disposition."

"Yeah," said Meteor, "Just give them a little of your food, preferably delicious food, and they'll be your friends any time. At least, that's what the commander says."

"Yes," said Flipper, "I think that's what he intends to do here with these guys to earn their allegiance today."

"Let's see if he succeeds, then," Burger and Meteor agreed.

* * *

In the meantime, Commander Gree and Luminara Unduli were about to start negotiating with Meema Snee, an ambassador for the Ortolan people, after getting some catching up on the state of Orto from Nem Bees and Deviss. Captain Panther of the 41st stood by to assist them, too.

"It's good to see that the Republic cares enough about our plight to send some extra help," said Snee, "I heard that the 41st Elite Corps specializes in hearts and minds operations in hostile territory under grueling conditions, am I right?"

"That is true," said Luminara, "We in the 41st are some of the best disciplined soldiers in the Grand Army, and we always seek to build and repair as well as to fight."

"That's very good to hear," Snee said happily, "Now, what do you think you can do for my people?" he asked, turning more serious. "The Separatists have been starving us out for weeks now, and we can't hold out much longer. Some of us are slowly becoming malnourished, and you know what it's like for a malnourished Ortolan, or at least I hope you do. Jedi General Nem Bees of our own kind and his clone commander have done everything they can for us, but it seems that K Company just isn't strong enough a unit to save us."

"Well, we have heard from Knight Bees that he asked your people to help in the fighting if you could, saying that may have helped them win the battle," said Luminara, "but you apparently said that that was not possible. Why is that, if I may be so bold as to ask?"

"Ah, yes," Snee said sadly, "That _is_ an issue. Well, we would like to help if we could, but as I said before, we have been half-starved over the weeks, having only just enough food to get by, and none more, and many of us are not strong enough to fight effectively. We need to regain our strength first before we can fight at all."

It was here that Commander Gree stepped into the conversation. "I think my men and I can help you there, good man Meema Snee," he said. "You see, I am an expert on alien cultures, which evidently made me the ideal choice for the 41st Elite's senior clone commander, and I think that I can provide you with just what you and your people need."

Snee's black eyes widened. "I never expected a clone commander to offer something to us so generously," he said. "But tell me, what do you have for us?"

"To begin with, I know that your culture has a great affinity for music as well as food," Gree said, "And General Unduli and Commander Offee are experts in singing beautiful songs. Commander Offee actually charmed me with one of her serenades a little while back, and she and her master have very good singing voices. Secondly, we have plenty of foodstuffs to provide for your starving people, and we made sure that they are among the more delicious delicacies in the galaxy."

Snee's eyes widened more, if that was possible. "You have food for us, and music? That's the best possible treat my people could ask for in a time like this! Come, now! With your permission, let's have the two Mirialan Jedi sing a song or two, and then show us the food you brought. Then we shall consider your request to join your side in this war."

Luminara and Barriss, who stood just beside her, smiled. "We would be delighted to provide you with a song," said Luminara. "In fact, I have a clarinet with me, Commander Gree recommended that I bring it along when he learned that the Jedi Temple houses some musical instruments. That might make for even more beautiful music. I will play the clarinet, and Barriss here will sing you a song about the history of the Mirialan race. Is that all right with you, Barriss?" she asked, turning to her Padawan.

"It absolutely is all right, Master," Barriss said, bowing her head.

"I would be glad to hear it, too," said Gree, "Because Mirialans are among the best near-human singers I know of."

"Then I suppose we'll all enjoy ourselves, then," said Snee smiling under his trunk.

"Whoa," said Burger sarcastically, "This should be interesting."

"Please don't be sarcastic, Burger," Flipper quietly admonished him, "I want to hear this song as much as Commander Gree does."

"Oh, all right, then," submitted Burger.

"Don't worry, Burger," said Meteor, "I'm sure we'll enjoy this. Just keep an open mind."

"If you say so," said Burger.

Luminara played a quaint little tune on the clarinet, which very much reminded Ambassador Snee of the subsonic music many of his own musicians played in his court. As Luminara played, Barriss sang a dramatic song about Mirial and its inhabitants that told about the long history they had had with the Old Republic, how they had participated in the wars against the mighty Sith Empire from a few thousand years ago, and up to the point where the late Mirialan freedom fighter, Arwen Cohl, had helped his people win a war against a neighboring world which had opposed Mirial, and subsequently became a mercenary, vowing not to make his old mistakes and never let anyone get near enough to kill him, though he was ultimately killed, anyway.

Snee found the song just as captivating as the clarinet, and found himself dreaming of numerous dramatic concerts that some of his best musicians had played for him and other leaders of Orto. Gree, more than any of the other clone troopers, was impressed by the sound of Barriss' voice, and liked hearing about the history of another race. He, and some of his men, were especially interested in the fact that many Mirialans of the Old Republic had once served it as brave and tough Republic troopers in the Sith wars dressed in armor that looked so much like clone trooper armor, it may have been the basis for the clones' armor.

When the song was finished, Barriss and Luminara bowed their heads again in humility, and they received a smattering of applause from Gree, his men, and Meema Snee.

"Very, very good!" Snee complimented them, "You must be some of the best singers in the Jedi Order. Where did you learn to sing like that, Commander Offee?"

"I didn't exactly learn it," said Barriss, "I suppose I just happen to have a good singing voice, though as a Jedi, I like to believe that the Force helps my singing a little bit, not that I sing very often, though."

"Well, it was very good, nonetheless," said Snee. "I think that if your other offer pleases us as much as your music pleased me, then as soon as enough Ortolans are strong enough, we'll be willing to help you drive these Separatists off our world."

"Of course, ambassador," said Gree, bowing and then gesturing to two troopers nearby to bring out samples of the foodstuffs for Snee to judge. The troopers obeyed, and soon, several crates of food were brought over from their shuttle and laid down in front of Meema Snee. One of the boxes was opened to show him what was inside.

It must be mentioned here that Snee was afraid that there would just be flavorless rations or some kind of slop for food in the boxes. His species did not care for flavorless or sloppy food. But when he peered into the box, he was pleasantly surprised to find a full weeks supply of such diverse foods as sliders, sausages, eggs, fruit, cakes, pies, sandwiches, spring water in bottles, blue milk, and even ice cream and several kinds of cheese. One might wonder how these normally perishable items could be brought as foodstuffs to a starving people, but these were all in refrigerated or frozen boxes to preserve them.

It gladdened Snee's heart to see that there was so much different and delicious food to sustain the appetites of his folk, for Ortolans valued food highly, and that was because their high metabolism required that they eat more in order to preserve their muscle and their blubber for survival in the icy conditions of their home world, and food was scarce on Orto. Delighted, he turned back to Luminara and Gree.

"How many of these crates of food were you able to bring?" he asked them.

"Oh, quite a few," said Luminara, "I believe they number about five to ten thousand, don't they, Commander?"

"Absolutely, General," Gree said amiably, "We brought them all aboard our _Venator_-class Star Destroyers, and if you need more, which you probably will, there's always more on the way."

"In that case, we have an agreement," said Snee, offering his fat little hand to shake theirs. "You give us the food, we'll recover as quickly as we can while you help K Company hold off the Separatists, and if the Confederacy still isn't gone then, you have my word that my people will mobilize and bear arms to help you save our world."

"Excellent," said Luminara. "You will not regret this, Ambassador Meema Snee."

"Indeed," said Gree, "The 41st always keeps its side of a bargain, and I'm sure you will, too."

"Thank you, good sir and ma'am," Snee stated.

* * *

And so, over the next few days, while the starving Ortolans fattened themselves up, the 41st Elite and K Company held off the droid army to the best of their ability. Scout troopers, AT-RT's and BARC speeders prevented surprise attacks from the droids on Ortolan camps and cities, while ISP speeders and AT-AP's did the more dangerous work of holding off the bigger droids and droid armies on the planet. Occasionally a few recovering Ortolans would become casualties, but finally, they were mostly ready to join the Republic in the war.

For such blubbery creatures, the Ortolans made pretty good fighters. Jedi Nem Bees was impressive enough, him being a Jedi and all, but the other, non-Force sensitive ones proved surprisingly adept with blasters, thermal detonators they borrowed from the Grand Army, and even melee weapons. They fought under the grueling conditions of the ice and snowstorms for days before the droids were, at last, destroyed and driven from Orto.

* * *

After it was all over, the planet's government gave their thanks to the 41st Elite and to K Company for their valiant defense of their planet, and Orto rejoined the Republic. As they left, the three clone troopers above had a few things to say to each other.

"Well, Burger," said Flipper, "Don't you think that was well worth it, now? We won another world to our side without having to use violence to convince them to join us, _and_ we learned some interesting things about _two_ alien species, also."

"Well," said Burger as they settled down in their barracks, "At any rate, after we won the big elephants' trust, the First Battle of Orto was definitely a winnable battle, I'll give them that."

"Oh, come on, brother," said Meteor, "Don't call them derogatory names. They're living people like us, not animals."

"Sorry, Meteor," apologized Burger, "I just meant it as a friendly nickname for what they look like. But you must admit, many in the clone army are not as open-minded about aliens as we in the 41st are, what with there being so many aliens in the Confederacy and all."

"Well, I, at least, will sleep better tonight, knowing that we helped another world and its species," said Flipper, "Won't you guys?"

"I will," said Meteor, "Won't you, Burger? I hope so."

"Probably," said Burger, "Unless we're suddenly called to duty again before we get a good enough night's sleep."

"Well, as soldiers bred to follow orders, we are used to living a life like that," said Flipper.

"Good thing, too," said Burger. "Well, good night, boys. I hope the next campaign takes us to folks even more charming than the Ortolans."

"Good night, brothers," said Meteor and Flipper.


	3. Low Intensity Conflict on Ithor

**Chapter 3: **_**Low Intensity Conflict on Ithor**_

There was another crisis happening in the Clone Wars that required the help of the 41st Elite. The planet Ithor was divided over whether to stick with the Republic, or to join Dooku's Separatists, and Commander Gree and Luminara Unduli, accompanied this time by Master Yoda, were called on to resolve the matter in as peaceful a manner as possible.

Scout troopers and BARC troopers disembarked from the Republic Assault Ship they had come in, bringing only their BARC and ISP speeders, and no other vehicles. Some of them wondered why they had to be so picky about what vehicles they used, until they saw the ecosystem of Ithor, where they met Tonas, an Ithorian herdsman who lived on the surface of Ithor unlike the majority of his kind, who dwelt in herd ships.

"You know," said Bomber, "I'm not sure why we should be so careful what we shoot and what we don't shoot. I'm sure this planet can heal itself in time."

"Evidently, you don't know about the Ithorian Law of Life, Bomber," said Filler, "They do absolutely no harm to the life on their planet, except for when they need food, and then they always replace each plant twofold to make the planet's ecosystem continue to thrive. It's part of their religion, I hear."

"I like the sound of that," said Adam sarcastically, "Sure, we save lives as troopers, but why should we have to worry about the _plants_, of all things? That's like… saving the rocks, as far as I'm concerned."

"Shh," said Filler, "You want another lecture from the Commander and the General, Adam? The Ithorians have their own customs and culture too, you know, and we always have to respect them."

"Fine, fine," grumbled Adam quietly. "I'll keep my mouth shut again. Though I still think this is a waste of time. I would have liked to use one of our Juggernauts-"

"Shut up, Adam!" Filler hissed.

Adam sighed, but did as he was told.

* * *

Commander Gree, Luminara Unduli, and Yoda stepped forward with a protocol droid called S-3PO to talk to Tonas about the upcoming battle where the Republic and the Separatists would struggle for the planet.

"Greetings, my herdsman friend," Luminara bowed to him. "I am Jedi Master Luminara Unduli, and General of the 41st Elite Corps. And these are Grand Master Yoda, and Clone Commander Gree."

"I'm glad to meet you, sir," said Gree, "We come in peace."

"Indeed, we do," said Yoda, "My pleasure to meet you as well, it is."

Tonas greeted them in his dual-mouthed, four-throated language that non-Ithorians could not reproduce. The Jedi and the commander turned to S-3PO.

"He introduces himself as herdsman To Tonas, who was called to the surface of Ithor four Ithorian years ago by the Mother Jungle, and has never returned to his herd ship, in accordance with Ithorian custom," the droid intoned, "He welcomes you warmly to his world, and he hopes that you will treat his ecosystem with respect and reverence as his people do."

"Of course, To Tonas," said Luminara, bowing her head again.

"Always respectful to those who show respect, I am, good man Tonas," nodded Yoda.

"I do too, good sir," said Gree.

The protocol droid translated Tonas' next response. "He is glad that you are willing to help his people against the Separatists, but he has his conditions."

"Please say what they are, To Tonas," said Yoda, "and comply with them to the best of our ability, we will."

S-3PO listened to the rumbles of Tonas' voice, and told the Jedi and the clones what he was saying. "First of all, he says that he does not want any samples of his planet's vegetation or wildlife to be taken for tests by Republic scientists, for no life form should be subject to the tortures conducted in foreign laboratories."

"That sounds perfectly reasonable," said Luminara, "Though the Chancellor and the Senate sometimes like to study life from worlds besides Coruscant anyways, if only for food and medicine purposes. But I think we can convince them to make an exception this time."

"Hmm," said Yoda, "Stubborn, the Chancellor and the Senate can be. But reach an agreement, I think we can, for not all senators are greedy for their own self-benefit."

"I work directly for the Chancellor, sir," said Gree, "He's the Grand Army's commander-in-chief. I might be able to help convince him, too."

Tonas voiced his gratitude, according to S-3PO, and then continued.

"Second, he says that he and his people are strict pacifists," the droid said, "and so, they cannot join you as soldiers on the battlefield. Third, he hopes that this will be a low intensity conflict, more like a peacekeeping skirmish than all-out war, and that's why he requested before we came here that we should not use HAVw A6 Juggernauts, AT-RT's or AT-AP's on Ithor. And finally, he's still willing to help you out in this battle, so long as it does not involve Ithorians killing other things, even droids."

"Hmph!" Adam thought to himself. "Some condition. You can't _kill_ a droid; you can only destroy it! Why can't they even do _that_?"

Gree and the Jedi took no notice of Adam's irritation with the situation, but his fellow troopers somehow noticed his fidgeting, and glared at him through their helmets. He was beginning to think there was no end to the rebukes of his brothers.

"We can easily agree to that," said Luminara, "The Jedi prefer peacekeeping to outright fighting, ourselves, and we already knew that Ithorians are pacifists."

"Yes, peacemakers the Jedi were intended to be, not generals," concurred Yoda, "And fight smaller, quieter battles, the 41st Elite is capable of doing."

"And don't worry, sir Tonas," said Gree like a true authority figure among his brothers, "We in the 41st don't always fight straightforward battles. We can use guerilla tactics and subterfuge, too, and if necessary, we can do as little damage to the surrounding area as possible. Your planet's ecosystem will survive this battle."

Tonas rumbled in his language again. S-3PO translated it again. "He thanks you very much, though he will be having some scouts watching over the battle from a distance to make sure that you keep your word. But he just thought of one more condition, and that is, to prove your respect to Ithor and its environment, you will replace every living thing that dies in your battle twofold, just as the Ithorians do, in accordance with the Law of Life."

The clone troops were taken aback a little by this, wondering how they were going to fulfill such a demand. But Gree, Luminara, and Yoda already had a plan in mind.

"You need not worry, good To Tonas," Luminara said sagely, "We are preparing to bring you some cloning technology from Kamino, the home world of the Grand Army's clone troopers, to work alongside your own cloning technology, and a detachment of the 41st will stay here for awhile to use that technology to help you recreate your lost flora and fauna, as well as to help keep the peace for awhile, in case the Separatists return."

Tonas thought about this for a moment, or at least seemed to, and then, he reached out and, to Luminara's slight embarrassment, he enveloped her in a bear hug. Yoda chuckled. Some of the troopers looked amused, too.

"He says he accepts our help now," said S-3PO, "and he says that his scouts will help your scouts find the quickest way to the droid army to crush it before there's a very large uprising."

"Excellent," Yoda said, "Fail you, we will not, To Tonas."

* * *

A few hours later, some Ithorian scouts were guiding the scout troopers and the BARC troopers through the lush jungles of Ithor. The troopers were not bothered by the heat and humidity, due to their armored suits and black body gloves that controlled their temperature level at a comfortable one. Yoda had once, unknown to all there, including Luminara, visited a swamp planet called Dagobah, which he would return to late in his life, so he wasn't too bothered by it, either. Luminara, though, being a Mirialan, sweated a lot in the humid heat. Like many Mirialans, she preferred cooler worlds to hot ones, especially hot, humid ones. Nonetheless, she wasn't going to let that get in her way anymore than it was getting in the way of Yoda or the troopers.

Finally, they made it to an open place where the Separatist battle droids were congregating, though not before shooting down an occasional droid scout or two. A few plants were hurt by blasts that missed, and the Ithorians did not smile when that happened, but they were going to stick to the agreement no matter what. The base was a very open space with only a few plants obstructing the fighting space, though the 41st later learned that the droids had mowed down most of the plants by their base. Luminara and Yoda gave the word, and Commander Gree gave the order to attack, reminding his men one more time to restrain themselves and not shoot recklessly or unnecessarily.

The skirmish lasted only a half hour, and all things considering, it went rather well. All the droids were destroyed, and their Gossam Separatist commander was taken prisoner. Only about twenty plants were killed, and thirty more scarred, but still alive, and no animals had died apparently. Of course, almost fifty men in the 41st died in the battle, including Filler, and Adam asked to spend some time by himself after the battle to mourn him.

* * *

Later, the Elite Corps brought out some cloning technology straight from Kamino, as they had promised, and Luminara, Yoda, and Gree made arrangements for certain hand-picked troops to stay behind to help the Ithorians regrow their dead plants and crops. Adam later volunteered to be one of those troops. Inevitably, some of the chosen clones were let down by this new duty, what with them always eager for battle. To the amazement of the Jedi, though, especially Yoda, many of the troops were surprisingly humane enough to actually help the aliens of Ithor willingly. They thought it was a privilege to work with interesting aliens who cared about life enough to adore and worship it. Gree would have volunteered for the job, too, if it weren't for his duties and responsibilities as the 41st's senior commander.

Before leaving, though, after saying their goodbyes to To Tonas, Gree and the Jedi were curious to know why Adam, of all the clone troopers in his unit, would volunteer to help the efforts of repopulating the flora of Ithor.

"Well," said Adam thoughtfully, "I think it was something that my brother Filler said to me shortly before he died from an attack by one of those clankers. He said that he loved me as a brother, and I told him the same, but then he said that if I expected to be a model trooper of the 41st, as well as a model for future generations of soldiers and peacekeepers, I have to look more at how sacred life truly is, and embrace it as something that's very badly needed for a peaceful galaxy. 'After all,' he concluded just before he passed away, 'what good is peace and order if there are so few alive to feel safe and secure within it?' I started to reconsider my bad attitude about the soft ways of the 41st Elite, and I decided to do the divine thing. If I work here with the relief efforts, perhaps I can learn something from all the life forms living here, including the Ithorians themselves."

Gree, Luminara, and Yoda's eyes widened. "I don't know what to say, Adam," said Luminara, "except that I'm impressed. More troopers are starting to see why the Elite Corps stands for life as well as death in the Grand Army!"

"Many say, without empathy, the clone troopers are," said Yoda, "Yet true with trooper Adam, this is not. Seen the light, he has at last, and in the Force, a beacon of life for more closed-minded troopers to pay attention to."

"Indeed," said Gree, smiling proudly, "I could say that Filler deserves some recognition, too, for opening Adam's eyes before his death."

"I'll make sure of that, Commander," Adam said. "At the first good opportunity, I'm going to get myself the same hairstyle as you, sir, the double stripe, to honor Filler and other dead brothers."

"Then I say that Ithor will be lucky to have men like mine defending and rebuilding it," Gree announced to his hand-picked relief workers, "but most of all, for Adam here. Good job, men!"

He saluted Adam, who returned the salute, and then all the 41st Elite men on standby saluted, too. Luminara and Yoda gave each other a small smile as To Tonas and his Ithorian cousins cheered the 41st on.

"It looks like another triumph for the Elite, Master Yoda," said Luminara, "I couldn't have asked for better troops."

"A triumph, too soon to tell, if it truly is one," said Yoda thoughtfully, "This war is still far from over. But a milestone in sentient goodwill, it certainly is, a formerly stone cold clone learning the value of sentient life. Perhaps one day, learn to do the same, the whole galaxy can, too."

"To peace," Luminara said, putting out her hand.

"To order and safety," Gree suddenly chimed in, clapping his gloved hand on top of hers.

"To life," Adam said next, putting down his own hand.

Yoda hopped on a branch of a small tree so he could reach them, and clapped his own hand down on theirs. "To hope, and the Force."


End file.
